Testing Vitamin D Deficiency – Groundbreaking Opioid Addiction Study A groundbreaking opioid addiction study points to a strong relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the markers of addiction. The other more obvious conclusion was that the vitamin D deficiency showed a strong sunbathing addiction. A recent article in a leading
A Non-opioid Treatment For Chronic Pain – Cutting Edge Development Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin have discovered a non-opioid treatment for chronic pain that may revolutionize severe pain treatment. A recent article in the Medical Xpress newsletter covered what may be the new way to treat chronic pain including
A suggested New York Opioid dealer law caught my eye as I paged through numerous workers’ compensation articles this week. A Long Island lawmaker suggested a death sentence for any illegal opioid transactions. According to the associated article and video: Long Island Assemblyman Mike LiPetri is proposing a new law
Workers Comp Pharmacy High Costs – One Pic Explains It All A Workers Comp Pharmacy comparison can be shown in the picture below. My comparison is not for a Workers Comp claim that I have presently. Instead, a simple picture shows the source of the high costs of name-brand
Opioid Study Shows No Improvement over Nsaids or Acetaminophen A recent opioid study – great article in the Los Angeles Times – indicated that after a yearlong study opioids showed no great improvement in lessening pain than over-the-counter painkillers. Another recent study indicated the same result. I am unable to
Use Among Mentally Ill May Be Key To Opioid Epidemic The opioid epidemic has reached massive proportions over the last few years. Researchers and pundits searched for the key to why such a high use level among the US and World populations. Opioids dominated much of the Workers
Mind Blowing Opioid Statistics These opioid statistics are astounding and verifiable. I was listening to a great webinar recording today – See next article. One of the topics was the effect that opioids would have on Workers Compensation in 2017 and beyond. I was subsequently reading
New Mexico Marijuana Recent New Mexico marijuana laws have enabled injured workers in the state to consume five joints per day – at a maximum. The state of New Mexico has always been very active in their allowance of medical marijuana for workers compensation injuries. The most recent New Mexico
Meth vs Opioids in Workers Comp Meth vs Opioids in Workers Comp – the silent epidemic is occurring and we may not be looking at what should be considered an even more dangerous line of drugs than opioids. Opioids are one of the most discussed topics in any analytical setting
2014 Workers Comp Prescription Cost Increase The 2014 Workers Comp Prescription Cost was actually a bargain when compared to the general public’s cost increase. The results were totally surprising as I had thought the increases would have been very similar. The Google search results from link for 2014 Workers Comp
BidRx As A Model For Injured Employee Choice One of the most economical websites today is BidRx. I found it while reading a publication by Clark Howard. The website was given a thumbs up by the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services. (CMS) One has to have a sponsor when they sign
Medical Marijuana Basis For Lawsuit Medical Marijuana is now a basis for a discrimination lawsuit. New Mexico issued a very bad ruling last year that required an employer in the state to pay for a claimant’s marijuana prescription. This broke through an important barrier where marijuana is accepted as a prescription
Top 10 Challenge Areas – The First Five The article on the Top 10 Challenges for Workers Compensation received a large amount of inter-buzz. Two readers suggested an expansion (better explanation) of my list. I will split the Top 10 into two articles. The first five of My Top
Rocky Mountain High – In New Mexico A New Mexico Court of Appeals has recently ruled that an injured employee’s Workers Compensation carrier must pay for his marijuana prescription. The ruling even noted the federal laws for medical marijuana would prohibit the use. According to the Santa-Fe New Mexican, The New Mexico
WCRI Study Oklahoma recently enacted new rules for opioid use as 8% of the general population were long term users of painkillers. WCRI recently performed a startling study on Workers Compensation opioid use which indicated that Louisiana and New York injured workers were ingesting massive amounts of opioids.
Four Popular WC Medications > Generic There are presently four popular WC medications that are becoming generic in the next few months. The NAMSAP (National Association Medicare Set Asides Professionals) conference in Las Vegas has provided me with a vast amount of new information on MSA’s. Dr. Marcos Iglesias,
Highly Trusted Medical Professionals Include Pharmacists Pharmacists have always ranked very high on the list of Trusted Medical Professionals. Almost 73% of a recent survey’s respondents listed pharmacists as a very trusted professional. Only nurses were ranked higher. Since the late 1980’s Gallup has created a poll asking the public
Oklahoma’s New Anti Drug Abuse Bill vs. Work Comp Oklahoma’s new anti drug abuse bill should affect WC. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has given her blessing to a new bill that would limit the use of painkillers by requiring physicians to access a database to check on the prior prescriptions
On The Job Alcohol v. Marijuana Debate The Job Alcohol v. Marijuana debate usually ends up with an interesting discussion. The job alcohol v. marijuana debate pits the right to privacy against the right to a safe workplace. A very interesting question popped up on the LinkedIn Work Comp Analysis
PMSI and Progressive Medical Merger Causes Workers Comp Buzz PMSI and Progressive Medical Merger shows that small WC companies may not exist much longer in the insurance landscape. The buzz at the end of last week and over the weekend was the surprising merger of two Workers Comp service titans.
Physician Dispensaries Opt Out Of Opioids – A Good Sign Physician dispensaries Opt Out due to a strict ban in Florida Florida has endured an epidemic of the improper use of opioids. They have been discussed to the nth degree in Workers Compensation. One of the most prevalent
Generic Opioids Gain In Popularity- Oxycodone Opioids have been on the Workers Comp radar screen over the past few years due to their abuse and dependency by injured workers. Hydrocodone (Vicodin) seemed to be the most popular according to the pharmacists that were contacted in 2011 and early 2012. Vicodin is
Shocking Statistics on Workers Comp Narcotics The NCCI just released a study today on Narcotics in Workers Comp. The buzz on narcotics/opioids almost rivals fraud. I decided to read the study closely to see if there were any astounding facts. The one statistic that stood out was that 40% of
Opioid Abuse The growing problem of Opioid abuse in WC. This subject has been covered very well in Mark Wall’s Group on LinkedIn – Work Comp Analysis Group. If you are a member of LinkedIn, I highly recommend joining the group. I cannot link directly to the group as it
Popular Pain Med Fentanyl The popular pain med fentanyl CWI California was shock.This very dangerous medication hit the Workers Comp airwaves late last week. An article was published by the California Workers Compensation Institute which indicated that Fentanyl was being prescribed more regularly by certain California physicians as a pain
Drugs vs. Proximate Cause The proximate cause of an accident may not always be that obvious in a WC claim. One area that Workers Comp insurance companies and self insureds spend a large amount of money to deny and defend claims is when an injured employee is deemed to have
Most Popular Prescription Drug Was An Opioid? The most popular prescription drug was one that I have taken myself a few times over the years. Statins were very popular at one time. Stomach and digestion remedies dominated the requested prescriptions decades ago. I was just reading an article in Forbes Magazine.
